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The second episode of Doki Doki was quite promising. I'm a little apprehensive about the direction Precure is going thanks to Smile, but this show looks to be good so far. Hopefully there's more emotional realism and character development this time around (staples to Precure but oddly absent in Smile... No, bouncing between extremes like in Smile is not realism... unless you're bipolar). Better fights and story would also be very welcome.

I wrote up a (rather scathing) review of Smile when I finished it but opted not to post it here at the time. It did make it to another of my regular forums, though, albeit one where people don't talk about Precure, and in a general "now watching" thread... I didn't want to seem too down on it and thought that maybe my opinion of the direction the show took brought down my overall opinion of the show, but my feelings haven't really changed upon reflection, so I'll be posting the review as-is.

Mana and Rikka's relationship is pretty nice. I just hope that, unlike all the other "best friend" characters who get introduced as the second (normal) Precure, Rikka doesn't end up getting pushed into the background. Balanced screentime is consistently one of the biggest problems I've encountered with Precure, Smile being the rare season for me thus far where this wasn't an issue.

^ It also came at the expense of Smile not having a very strong underlying plot.

Really like the slow pace of DokiPuri thus far. I enjoyed Smile a lot (it was what finally introduced me to Precure), but after watching Heartcatch, I'm very aware of its faults. I'm hoping Doki is more in the vein of Heartcatch... Thus far, it seems to be headed in a similar direction, at least.

The ED is great, too. I haven't loved a Precure ED this much before and the animation is amazing.

Episode 3 is good. The blond dude is creepy. It's a good thing that Rikka is aware of common senses. She protected Mana well. Also, sleeping Rance is cute~. The villians own their own bowling alley. Cure Rosetta next week.

Rikka has a good grasp on common sense and a sharp tongue when she needs it. Quite a change from the standard childhood best friend type! I'm already loving her and it's a huge bonus that Kotobuki Minako voices her.

Rikka's channeling some of her inner Homura here. She doesn't have knowledge from the future, but she does have the mind of scientist. (And the heart of Mana's girlfriend.) Her first fight scene as Blue Rose Diamond didn't last very long, but it looks like Rikka's going to be a grand addition to the team. (Also, "Ecchi no Hikari" is totally going to be the slogan for all those "Perverted Rikka" images.) But Joe is a smooth talker, almost as much as Kyubey. It's not the fairies that the girls should be keeping their guard up around, it's him.

I do like the villains' base, and Bel is voiced by the head of BOARD from Kamen Rider Blade. This will do absoloutely nothing to stop the comparisons to Kamen Rider Blade this series is getting. Nor will I stop comparing Rikka's dad to Eiji/Satoru/Daigo in the other part of the block. But her dad being an adventurer does explain why she's so close to Mana. Mana's like a sister/lover to her. And the MotW was funny. Most of them have been. Forever Alone + Valentine's Day + Mailbox + ...Goat?

Next week is the debut of Cure Gyrozetter, who, despite the episode title, also can't go against her fate. But I believe in you, Miho!

Hoping the fighting scenes being as engaging as Smile's at its worst moments don't become a pattern, though I don't mind the extra focus on the characters, especially when they're less stereotypical like Rikka.

Spoiler:

I find it a bit weird that Alice just pops out of nowhere at the end, after having having a very small introduction in ep. 1 and no screen time in ep. 2.Seems like it's trying to hard too speed up the pace.

Random Nitpicks:
- Did anyone else notice that the fairies seemed to have shrunk? They looked to be about the size of a stuffed animal last episode, but near the end of this one, they looked to be smaller than the palm of their hands.
- The "ding ding" on the Communes changed for some weird reason.

"You're totally suspicious but in the end by the Power of Plot (TM) I shall do it". That can sum up Rikka in this episode. At least she actually tried to get more answers from Mr. Stalker, who I think looks creepy with all the "My sweet heart" kind of talk. Fight scene was short and unremarkable.
Next week, looks like we're going to Panzer Vor! with the third Cure.

"You're totally suspicious but in the end by the Power of Plot (TM) I shall do it". That can sum up Rikka in this episode. At least she actually tried to get more answers from Mr. Stalker, who I think looks creepy with all the "My sweet heart" kind of talk. Fight scene was short and unremarkable.
Next week, looks like we're going to Panzer Vor! with the third Cure.

well it was rikka first time as a cure so it not surprise the battle was so short right?